Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I grew tired of waiting for McGrath's to add Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale to the draft list, so I picked up two 22-ounce bottles at Wegman's. The beer is orange in color with a ginger aroma. There is a sweet pumpkin flavor with heavy ginger accent. I think that it tastes just like pumpkin pie. The beer is a little dry on the finish with cinnamon and vanilla. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. This is by far one of my favorite pumpkin beers. The flavors in the beer are excellent, and none of them are overpowering. Each flavor accents the others nicely and provides a round flavor. If you only select one beer this fall, try this one. I am going to make a trip back to Wegman's just to get more bottles of the Pumking.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I stopped by Wegman's and picked up a four-pack of Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale. I am currently in my pumpkin beer phase, so Weyerbacher was a must try. The beer is an orange-tinted amber color with a delicate cinnamon and nutmeg aroma. The taste is slightly sweet at first with pumpkin flavor. The beer then hits with allspice and finishes slightly dry with a cinnamon taste. The clovers are slightly detectable as well on the finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. While the alcohol wasn't too detectable drinking the beer, it is definitely noticeable after drinking the first glass. I enjoyed the Weyerbacher version of pumpkin beer and I suggest you give it a try.

Troegs Dead Reckoning Porter

When I picked up a six-pack of the most recent Troegs Scratch beer, I also picked up a six-pack of Dead Reckoning Porter. The beer is black in color and has a decent head on the pour. There is a sweet hoppy aroma that results from the pour. The beer tastes of chocolate and roasted malts with a slight caramel undertone. There are hops are present but they are not overpowering. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. I think that the Dead Reckoning is an excellent porter and is one of my favorites. It is easy to drink, but multi-dimensional due to the hop content.

Appalachian Brewing Company- Obbie's Barrel Aged Grand Cru

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company over the Labor Day weekend and the had Obbie's Barrel Aged Grand Crew on cask. The beer has a frothy head and is amber in color. It has a light hop aroma. The Grand Cru is creamy and very malty with a slight alcohol kick. The bourbon is definitely detectable on the front end of the taste. The beer then finishes with a vanilla and jamocha taste. There are so many flavors included in this beer that it was difficult to detect them all (The phrase tongue orgasm was muttered during the taste explosion). The bartender estimated that the alcohol content to be about 9.0% ABV. I really enjoyed the Grand Cru and all of the flavors that come with it. My only caveat is that you don't let the beer get too warm, because the bourbon will overpower all of the other flavors in the beer and it is not as enjoyable.

Dale's Pale Ale

At McGrath's in Harrisburg, they recently tapped a keg of Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale. The beer is amber in color with a light hop aroma. There is a slight malt taste at the front of the beer, and it finishes with a strong accent of hops. The after taste is dry and hoppy, but clean and fresh. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This beer has been dubbed one of the best canned beers in the world, winning several awards, but I had it on draft. I would like to try it in a can as well and see if there is any difference. Overall, it was a really decent pale ale and worth the purchase.

Mendocino Eye of the Hawk

I had previously had the Mendocino Bock and I saw the Eye of the Hawk on McGrath's bottle list, so I decided to give it a try. The beer is red-amber in color with a malty and caramel aroma. The taste is sweet and malty, with an undertone of caramel. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. I thought that the Eye of the Hawk was excellent overall. The caramel taste was sweet enough to make the beer enjoyable, but not overpowering to limit the consumption. I really like the beers that I have had from Mendocino so far, and I look to try a few more if possible. Upon my return to McGrath's, I ordered another bottle. Please note, it is that good.

Troegs Scratch 23- Kellar Fest

I stopped by Troegs to pick up a six-pack of Dead Reckoning (review soon!) and a six-pack of Scratch 23- Kellar Fest. The brew was made in honor of Oktoberfest. The beer has an orange tint and is cloudy and unfiltered. It pours with almost no head and smells sweet and malty with a slight sour undertone. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with sublte hint of lemon. The Kellar Fest is a little bitter on the finish from the hops included in the beer. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. The fruity hint of lemon makes this beer slightly different than your run of the mill Oktoberfest beers, but it accents the malts used nicely. Go pick up a six-pack, or a growler, and enjoy this beer as fall approaches.

Pennichuck Backdraft Chocolate Porter

McGrath's had Pennichuck Backdraft Chocolate Porter on their bottle list, so I decided to give it a try as I was in the mood for a chocolate porter. It came in a 22 ounce bottle which I managed to add to my bottle collection at home. The porter is dark brown in color with a dark chocolate aroma. The initial taste consists of sweet milk chocolate, and the beer finished with a bitter dark chocolate taste. I could not track down an alcohol content for the beer, but I would guess it to be around 7.0% ABV. I was very pleased with the multi-dimensional aspects of the chocolate in the beer, both sweet and bitter chocolate. This beer is definitely on my “buy again” list.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a case of Saranac Pumpkin Ale today. I love pumpkin beers, and am really looking forward to trying many different brands this falls. The beer pours a dark amber color with a little head. The aroma consists pumpkin and cinnamon with a backbone of nutmeg. The taste is front loaded with allspice and ginger. It finishes a little dry with cinnamon and nutmeg. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Pumpkin Ale is pretty decent, but doesn't measure up with some of the better ones I've had in the past. I think the balance of flavors is decent, but there is something missing in the beer, but I cannot put my finger on it.

Beastie Boys- Double Check Your Head

From the guy who brought you Jaydiohead (Jay-Z + Radiohead mash up) comes a new mash up of Beastie Boys' instrumentals and lyrics. Max Tannone has found the only way to make the Beastie Boys better: by mixing them with more Beastie Boys. You can download and/or listen to the album here. I highly recommend downloading this (it's free!), and I have been jamming out to it recently.

Kulmbacher Eisbock

My roommate Adam picked up a case of Kulmbacher Eisbock and I decided to barter for one of them. The beer pour a deep dark brown with minimal head. The aroma is sweet and malty, with a hint of alcohol. The taste is smooth and sweet with accents of dark chocolate. The beer has a bitter finish due to the dark chocolate taste. It also finishes a little bit dry. The taste of alcohol isn't too prevalent even though the aroma hints at it. The alcohol content is 9.2% ABV. I think this beer was excellent and of high quality. The chocolate taste and dark color is getting me in the mood for the winter seasonals, and I think this would be a great beer on a blustery cold night.

Troegs Nugget Nectar

I picked up two bottles of the limited run off-season production of Troegs Nugget Nectar. Typically, I picked up a growler, but this run was bottled days prior to me purchasing it. The beer is golden in color and has a sweet aroma that hints at the hop content. It smells fresher than I remember, which is a good thing. The taste is hoppy and clean, with a hint of citrus and pine. The hops are an excellent compliment to the citrus and pine. The tastes are much more vivid in this special run than I remember, most likely due to the freshness. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. All in all, this special run was well worth the money spent and I look to grab more bottles of these while they last.

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA

At McGrath's, they just tapped a keg of Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA. I have heard a lot of good things about Dark Horse, but have not tried any beers from them yet. The IPA is an opaque gold color with light head. There is a floral aroma, as with almost any IPA. The taste consists of a sweet malty flavor with a bit of a spice. The hops are reserved for the after taste and hit with moderate punch. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I really enjoyed drinking this IPA, as it was not too overpowering and had a delicate balance of hops, malts, and spice. The spice is what puts this beer over the top and makes it more enjoyable.

Carlow Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Ale

While at McGrath's, my coworker Mike ordered a Carlow Curim Gold Celtic Wheat Beer. I was so intrigued by the aroma, that I ordered one myself. The beer is gold in color and has a sweet smell, consisting of a strong hint of caramel. The taste was malty and had a powerful taste of caramel. I also picked up a slight banana flavor. There is a minor hop after taste. The alcohol content is 4.3% ABV. I was very surprised at the Curim with the caramel accent. I had not previously heard of it, but it is very high quality. Everyone that tried it that night really liked it. I suggest picking up a bottle and trying it.

Appalachian Brewing Company- ESB Cask

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company last night and they had an Extra Special Bitter in the cask. I have not previously had an ESB from ABC, nor is any ESB listed on their website. The beer is amber in color, and has a thick frothy head. There is not too much aroma to the beer, but what is present hints at malts. The beer is creamy and warm in temperature, due to the fact it is served from a cask. The taste is mostly malty and not really bitter at all. I believe that the cask has really rounded out this beer and removed the bitter finish. There is a faint hop accent on the end. The alcohol content is around 5.5%, according to the bartender. While I thought that this beer was decent, I would like to try it not in the cask. I feel that the cask may have softened the bitterness too much, not really making this beer an ESB by definition.